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I sighed and muttered, "I fucked up. Got brainwashed. Said shit to Willow, and she somehow managed to protect us while defending herself from a group of assassins from Dubai.”
"Was she shot?"
"After we arriv-" I began but Jayce cut me off. "She protected me."
We all looked at him as he struggled to sit on the stool and keep the laptop that Saint got him on his lap.
"Willow was frustrated by the fact that she wasn't a wolf and that we most likely weren't going to run tonight. She decided to run by herself and I chased after before she got tackled by an assassin. I got him off her and had to pull back because of the silver. I shifted and was about to tackle him when he shot me," he explained. "He was about to shoot me multiple times, but Willow ran in front of me and took all five bullets before his gun jammed."
Viktor's expression grew dark while Onyx was practically shaking.
"She was shot?!" he snapped and looked at me. "Why the fuck did you attack her?!"
"I...I didn't see," I confessed. I felt like the ultimate fool. I'd smelled blood, but it never registered that she was covering up her own wounds.
"She was trying to cover it up. She zipped the windbreaker I gave her and helped me."
"What happened to the guy?" Neo stressed.
"He ran awa..." Jayce stalled as his eyes grew wide and were suddenly blazing with so much rage, I braced myself for the mental hit I was about to receive.
"Garfield!" he screamed, which shocked us all before his fingers blazed across the keyboard.
"What does Garfield have to do with any of this?" Saint questioned, but Neo seemed to have the answer as he cursed under his breath as his hands curled into fists.
"Garfield's the second rat," he quietly announced, and I fought to get onto my feet. "Fucking piece of shit," I cursed.
"You're trying to say that pipsqueak of a guard is the one behind this shit?!" Onyx exclaimed.
"He's from Cali," Neo muttered. "He worked in our technical department before we decided to do everything solo when we came to NYC. We positioned him as a guard because we didn't want to lay him off because he knows too much shit and magic doesn't work well on him because of the bit of fae blood...fucking shit."
It made sense now.
"Garfield is the one who contacted the fae who's associated with the Dubai pack to get rid of Willow or kidnap her so she wouldn't arrive back in time for the executive deal." Neo broke it all down. "He knows about Mikhel's death by suicide. Knows how it's a huge trigger for Dimitris because of the circumstances that led to his death. He used that to his advantage by setting Willow up to be in similar circumstances. Injuring Jayce was on purpose, knowing he'd protect Willow at all costs. The injury spiked through Dimitris, which heightened his emotional response and forced him to act out of instinct, making him completely vulnerable to magical attacks due to the spike of adrenaline, more commonly known as the flight-or-fight response. The fae took that advantage and the knowledge of Mikhel with the obvious insecurities Willow faces in the community to paint out the perfect comeback to reject Willow. That way, if they killed her, he'd have no choice but to live with the regret and wouldn't have the ability to be coherent enough to complete the deal. If she survived, they would kidnap her and either use her to get ransom from Roberto and us, or use her unique abilities against us."
When he broke it all down, it was like reading a screenplay to a movie. The entire thing played out in our minds, and it made me realize I was truly a fool in all of this.
Just like years ago, I fucked up.
"What was said to Willow?" Viktor questioned with a cold voice. His repeated question made me realize he was onto something we weren’t seeing, and Neo decided to answer once again.
"’Go disappear’," Neo repeated. "’I made an error of judgment. Our pack won't thrive with a human. No matter how many fucking traits you carry, you don’t belong here.’"
My words only reminded me of the past, triggering the memory that haunted me every damn night.
"Just fuck off, Mikhel!"I scream and turn around to push him down.
He hits the ground and glares at me as he snaps, "I know something that could help! Let me help you, dammit!"
I'm filled with enough fury to kill, and the words leave me before I can think.
"Just go away, Mikhel! Just...disappear! I made an error of judgment thinking you'd be able to help us, and now I have to bear the consequences on my own! My pack doesn't need you! You don’t belong in this neighborhood! Go back home already and let the nanny watch you while I finish business!"
I spin around and am about to shift as he whispers, "You really just want me to disappear?"
My feet stop in their tracks at the vulnerability in his voice, but I push forward as I shut everything down, and just like that, I'm in my wolf form and running away, leaving him in the alley of that dark street in California.
The memory wasenough to make my tears fall, and I felt all eyes on me as I quickly wiped them away and fought to stand up once more.
